


The Road Less Traveled

by astudyinfic



Series: Holidays 2020 [8]
Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Not Beta Read, Spoilers through Crash & Burn, casual discussion of murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:02:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27962726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: Zane is reminded - in horrifying detail - of the man Ty easily could have become.
Relationships: Zane Garrett/Ty Grady
Series: Holidays 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036116
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24





	The Road Less Traveled

**Author's Note:**

> **Day 8: Icicles**
> 
> Prompts can be found [here](https://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/635866337200259072/decided-it-was-time-for-a-new-holiday-prompt-list).

“That is not the way to do it,” Ty was mumbling to himself. Zane had long ago learned to tune Ty out when he got involved in something, whether it was a show or a game or a cold case. He was likely to talk to himself more than Zane and after replying to something Ty said and receiving a blank look in return, Zane decided it was easier just to wait for Ty to address him directly. 

Ty fell back into silence, reading whatever it was he had in front of him. Zane was making dinner and not paying much attention. Snow had started to fall two nights ago and hadn’t let up yet. Large icicles hung from the roof in front of the kitchen window and Zane found the whole scene comforting. He never expected this kind of domestic happiness, even when he was with Becky. He never let himself dream this was possible. 

A scoff from the dining room table pulled Zane’s attention back to his husband and he peered over the counter to see what Ty was looking at. “Do I even want to know how old that case file is?” A bored Ty was a destructive Ty, so McCoy had sent some cold cases to him to work through as a consultant while Zane finished up his tenure with the FBI. Ty had taken to the job with gusto and already solved three that had plagued the bureau for years. 

“About thirty years old,” Ty responded, not looking up from the file. “I’m not sure why we never caught this guy. He’s an idiot.”

The cases had covered a wide range from financial crimes to domestic terrorist plots so Zane wasn’t sure what type of crime they were even discussing. “Solved it already, have you?” 

“Yes. AND I know how I would have done it and not gotten caught.”

“In that case, why aren’t you calling McCoy to tell him?” Ty had enjoyed gloating over the last three he’d solved so what made this one different?”

Ty waved a hand in his general direction. “He was arrested years ago. Died in prison a few years back. Good riddance but my god, the fact that they never got him on _this_ is just laziness on the Bureau’s part.”

With dinner safely in the oven, Zane came and sat next to him, sliding the case file out from under Ty’s fingers. It was a particularly gruesome serial killer case that reminded him a little of the first case they worked together. This man had kept the same m.o. for all the crimes, however, so Zane could see how Ty put it all together. “So, you are planning how to be a better serial killer than a person who got away with being a serial killer?” Zane didn’t like the sound of that and made a mental note to ask McCoy for more case files. 

Ty clearly needed something to keep him busy.

"Sort of. Not exactly. Just, look at this." Ty grabbed the file from Zane's hand and flipped to the ballistics report. "If you are going to kill someone, don't use a gun. Those are too easily trackable. Just by the type of bullet, the way it reacts on impact, and the parks from the barrel itself, we can narrow it down to maybe a handful of people immediately. The same goes for a knife. If I saw someone with wounds consistent with your pig-stickers there, you would be the top of my list. Too easy to check against known priors. You wouldn't get away with murder if you used your knives."

Zane rolled his eyes but listened anyway. It was a fascinating - and terrifying - glimpse inside Ty's mind. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to live with that all the time. "Okay, so no shooting or stabbing anyone."

"Exactly. And since most murders are carried out through those two means, most murders get solved fairly quickly. This guy's ballistics matches the ones from the crimes he was convicted of. I would bet money that he committed these crimes as well but since these were old even when he was arrested, they never put the two together."

Nodding along, Zane could see where Ty was coming from with this. "Alright, so if you aren't going to use a gun or knife, what would you do?" Why he was asking these questions, he didn't know. But he signed up for this for better or worse, sickness or health, law enforcement or serial killer.

"Snapping their neck is always an option, as long as you wear gloves and break it opposite your normal hand. O'Flaherty was kind enough to demonstrate _that_ one. Don't use a rope for anything. Those fibers get everywhere." Ty was clearly on a roll and Zane didn't want to stop him. "You could make meat bullets, I guess, if you really wanted to use a gun. Even if they discovered you used meat, it would be difficult to trace it back to you."

"Uh...huh." This was getting slightly morbid but who was Zane to tell him no. He knew what he was getting into. 

Ty's eyes lit up. "Wait! You could stab someone! You'd just need to use a meat dagger! Or an icicle! An icicle would be perfect. Stab them, let it melt. It would wash away some evidence too. There we go. Perfect crime. Stab someone with an icicle. His eyes went past Zane to the kitchen window and the now deadly-looking spikes hanging from the roof. "I could kill you and no one would suspect me."

Zane finally laughed, because the whole thing was so absurd, he didn't know what else to do. "Everyone would suspect you. Besides, I would take you down with me. We're dying together, right?"

"Unless I get tired of you first."

He reached out and smacked Ty on the back of the head. "Hey!" Ty whined, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm just saying I could. Not that I'm going to."

Despite all the warnings people gave him at the beginning of their relationship, Zane never once felt like Ty would actually hurt him and he still didn't, all these years later. But sometimes he got an idea of how other people saw the slightly crazed love of his life. "You really were one step away from being a serial killer, won't you?" he asked incredulously. 

"Two paths diverged in the woods, and I, I took the one less traveled by..." Ty quipped. 

Ignoring the way his pants tightened at the poetic words coming from his husband, Zane laughed. "Wait, the FBI was the less traveled path?"

"No academy necessary to become a serial killer."

And Zane had to admit. Ty was right. "Just, promise me you won't kill anyone unless they really deserve it."

Ty mimed crossing his heart. "On my honor."

Zane kissed him then pushed back to stand and go back to the kitchen. "I love you, you psychopath."

"Aw! You say the nicest things. I love you too."

Sometimes he wasn't sure how this was his life, but Zane wouldn't trade it for anything.


End file.
